Nearly one in two adults have hypertension (high blood pressure), and less than half have their blood pressure under control. This places millions of Americans at increased risk for heart disease and stroke, the first- and fifth-leading causes of death in the United States.

Why Choose UHealth?

The University of Miami Health System Comprehensive Hypertension Center is the only American Heart Association (AHA)-certified comprehensive center in Florida. The AHA is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. In 2023, the association awarded UHealth’s Comprehensive Hypertension Center with the Gold Plus distinction, which is granted to health care organizations that attest to at least four of six evidence-based blood pressure activities in the categories of equipment calibration and validation, staff knowledge and skills and systems of care.

Personalized Care

As a patient at the Comprehensive Hypertension Center, you will be evaluated with four pillars that contribute to your blood pressure phenotype, risk, and therapeutic profile.

• Genetic and family history assessment: We delve deep into your genetic and family history, recognizing the significance of inherited risk factors.
• Biochemical analysis: Salt sensitivity and abnormal potassium level identification provides a holistic view of your biochemistry.
• Physiological study of blood pressure variability: Our understanding of the physiological aspects of blood pressure variation is key to a comprehensive assessment of your cardiovascular health.
• Environmental and epigenetic risk factors: Understanding how your environment and behavior affect your genes is vital in determining your cardiovascular risk.

Evaluating these pillars enables us to provide you with personalized treatments and introduce you to self-care strategies that can aid in the prevention of advanced heart-related conditions. We also serve younger patients, who may be unaware of their hypertension and cardiovascular disease risks, and address the unique challenges of female patients whose cardiovascular needs change during childbearing, pregnancy, pre-menopause, and menopause.

Evaluation, Diagnosis and Treatment Services

Our team offers a unique and highly effective process to evaluate your cardiovascular risk, diagnose hypertension and establish a timely and specific treatment plan.

Your cardiovascular risk assessment will include:

• Quantitative echocardiography
• Exercise testing
• Ankle-brachial index
• Carotid doppler
• Evaluation of autonomic function

Our diagnostic evaluation services include:

• Renal angiography
• Doppler renal ultrasound
• CT angiography
• MR angiography
• Adrenal vein sampling for aldosterone

Our interventions include:

• Renal angioplasty with/without stenting
• Laparoscopic adrenalectomy
• Sleep lab

Our Mission

• First, control blood pressure and reduce blood pressure burden through effective hypertension awareness, treatment, and control.
• Second, develop and support hypertension-related research and education that will lead to medical discovery and advancement in hypertension disease.
• Third, leadership in developing innovative ways to impact national and global health by reducing high blood pressure and its complications.

Our Team

Maria Delgado-Lelievre, M.D., Founder and Director
Efren Morales Chavez, M.D.
Yelena Drexler, M.D., Alessia Fornoni, M.D. (HTN-nephrology)
Gabriel Contreras M.D. (HTN-nephrology)
Murry Drescher, M.D.

The Comprehensive Hypertension Center’s extended multidisciplinary team includes cardiologists, neurologists, electrophysiologists, stem cell researchers, surgeons, psychologists and more specialists from across the health system. We will connect you with experts in appropriate fields to ensure your personalized and effective care.

Request an Appointment

Patients can call us at 305-243-5554 to make an appointment or request an in-person or virtual visit online.

Refer a Patient

To refer your patient for an appointment with one of our specialists, we have a number of options available for your convenience:

1. Phone: 844-900-UMMD (8663)
2. Online: Complete and submit the online form.
3. Fax: Print a UHealth Patient Referral Form and fax to 305-243-9772.
4. Email: Print a UHealth Patient Referral Form, scan, and email to ummd@miami.edu.